Dancing in Flames
by Branswilliam Rochester
Summary: Dancing in Flames and Drowning in Passion. Random oneshot I came up with at 2 AM. Featuring a lone stranger and a mysterious young girl in red. Contains tango dancing! Please R&R. Inspired by Moulin Rouge's El Tango De Roxanne. SSHG


Disclaimer: The plot is mine, but nothing else. It was inspired by Moulin Rouge's "El Tango De Roxanne." Try listening to it while reading- it definitely boosts the atmosphere. Please R&R but no flames please! It's 2 AM here!!

"You are playing with fire, girl." The silky voice whispered in her ear. His warm breath tickled her neck as she leaned closer to the stranger. The stranger stepped back gracefully. The girl swirled around to face the masked man.

"You do not know what you have gotten yourself into," the stranger continued.

The lights turned off abruptly, plunging the room into pitch darkness. Tense silence ensued as all that could be heard were the two breathing. Suddenly, a red spot light flashed on and focused on the two, violins climbing an eerie scale in an intense tango beat. Tension built higher and higher as the violins blared into a crescendo. The girl dressed in a wine-red, strapless, satin dress looked at her partner appreciatively. Her hair fell down her back in chestnut curls. Diamonds glittered in her hair, on her pale neck, her wrists, and even on her ankles. Her stiletto heels were black to match the black sash around her waist. The stranger in black looked at his partner, desire glittering in his eyes. He started circling her like a predator does its prey. Their eyes were locked, telling each other of the passions that were short from bursting forth. Only they would know that the positions would be switched before the night was over.

As the tango music blared, adrenaline rushed through the two dancers. Simultaneously, they stepped towards each other. No sooner had she accepted his graciously offered hand, the surprisingly strong stranger pulled her flush against him in a firm hold. Immediately, they skillfully danced rapidly to the tango music, their legs entwining with each other's. The red and black blurs twirled, spun, and pivoted. The heels of the shoes clicking against the floor echoed even with the seductive violin ensemble in the background.

His hands descended slightly lower from her waist as she looked up into the fathomless black tunnels of his eyes. When she made to reach for his collar, the stranger smirked languidly as he twirled her abruptly away in a fast spin. He then pulled her back in, making her concentrate on her footwork as he led them through an intricate pattern of passion and desire.

By now, the tango music had reached its climax, forcing the dancers to move rapidly and gracefully across the wooden floor. The stranger twirled the girl dizzyingly, dipping her into graceful moves and leading with firm confidence and practiced ease. Beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads, but they continued their impassioned dance.

As the violins blared their last note, the stranger dipped the girl dangerously low before claiming her exposed neck with his mouth. Heat radiated off both of them. "You do not know what you are playing with, girl," the stranger repeated enticingly into her ear. He had not yet relinquished his possessive hold on her, yet had stood her back on her feet. She shivered involuntarily as he fingers traced her spine fleetingly.

Slightly raising her eyebrow and blinking her heavily massacred eye lashes very slowly, she smiled seductively at him. "On the contrary. I know perfectly well what I am playing with, dear _sir." _She replied with a special purr at the last word. She turned abruptly, looking behind her shoulder.

She walked languidly about a meter away from the stranger, then turned around and posed with one arm at her hips. She made her agonizingly slow way back to the stranger, knowing she was torturing him by the way his eyes practically glazed over with desire. She ticked off her fingers as she spoke, "I believe, sir, that I have not yet had the honor to have gotten to know you. You are most likely one of the following," she said as she retraced some of their previous tango steps. "A very accomplished dancer, a man of extremely high birth, or…possibliy… the man that I have dreamt about for years."

Growing impatient, the stranger met the girl midway, grasping her wrists and pinning them behind her back as he leaned forward and buried his head in her vanilla scented hair. Neither of them had cooled down yet, and the proximity did not help their speeding hearts or their panting breaths.

"And who, may I presume, is this man you have dreamt about?" he muttered, as he buried his head even deeper into her hair. He was quickly losing his resolve as he tried to ignore the start of a new tango piece.

The girl smiled mischievously behind the stranger's back before replying, "He is one of solemn resolve, but one quick to make these resolves he has to sacrifice himself to keep." Knowing he had already resolved himself to not harm her in any way, she traced her fingers down his chest to prove her point. It was evident the stranger was struggling to control himself.

Walking back slightly, the girl continued, "He has always been one to speak after much thought. But beware, his bark is much worse than his bite." She mock growled.

Turning her back to him, she continued, sashaying across the dance floor. "He may not be the work of admiration to many, but to me, he is the most witty, intelligent, enigmatic man in the world." Crossing her legs, she slowly turned around and looked straight into the eyes of her no-longer stranger.

Both of them tuned out the tango music as they reached up and pulled off their masks. The sparkling eyes of Hermione Granger met the deep ebony eyes of Severus Snape.

"And, in your opinion, does this man you have dreamt of deserve you?" Snape asked quietly, his eyes fixed on Hermione as he approached her.

"Most definitely," Hermione replied before getting cut off by a searing kiss.

AN: Oh my, that was unexpected! Sorry about the randomness of this one shot, but I just felt so inspired to write this after watching Moulin Rouge. It may not have been the greatest, but hey, it relieved my stress after all that stress build up after the concert and the SSATs! Anyway, better get back to writing "Walking Back."


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